


Rounds Fired

by wendelah1



Series: Demons [3]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2013-02-22
Packaged: 2017-12-03 06:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wendelah1/pseuds/wendelah1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another character study/fill-in for episode 4.23 "Demons."  Picks up where "Next of Kin" leaves off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rounds Fired

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amalnahurriyeh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amalnahurriyeh/gifts).



> Spoilers for the series through "Demons." 
> 
> Thank you to my dear friend estella_c for her patience and editing skill.

After a brief argument, she drove Mulder all the way to Alexandria. It made sense, she insisted. She could leave his car at his place and take a cab back to Georgetown. Mulder didn't see why he couldn't take a cab from her apartment, but whatever. She made him promise he wouldn't drive until he was cleared by the doctor.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Mulder was awake most of the way but he didn't bring up the incident. He knew she was exhausted and needed to concentrate on the road. Instead, he made small talk about baseball and Bigfoot sightings. His usual.

Thankfully, there was a parking space not far from his apartment. She stood by the car while he got his overnight bag out of the trunk. She walked him up to the building and stopped.

"I'm going to wait for the cab down here," she said.

"Why? Don't you want some coffee?"

"No. I want to sleep." She looked annoyed. Right.

"Fine, I'll wait with you."

"Then I might as well go upstairs. Please Mulder, just go home, get some rest." Fuck off, Mulder, in other words. Tough luck, he wasn't budging until he put her into that cab and paid for it.

"What's the meeting with Skinner about?" he asked.

She stared at him. "You're joking?"

"No."

"He wants a full accounting of what happened. Skinner is angry, and not just at you," she said impatiently.

"Why? He should be meeting with me then. Is he holding you accountable for my actions? He can't do that to you, Scully. I won't let him."

"Of course he's holding me responsible. Just like he did during the Roche case. That's always been part of my job, Mulder. Making sure you stay out of trouble." She snorted. "As if you'd listen to me."

"This wasn't part of a case," he said stubbornly. He listened to Scully. Didn't he?

"Mulder, there's still an open file on your sister's abduction. There is no way Skinner won't bring that up." She rubbed her eyes.

Scully looked pale. He couldn't remember when her latest treatment had been and this was not the right moment to ask. "Then I'm coming with you. What time is the meeting?"

She shook her head. "No, Mulder."

"I'm not letting you do this alone. It's not right and you know it." Appeal to her sense of justice. You know what drives this woman.

"Fine. The meeting is at 10:00." She yawned. "They might not let you into the building. You are on administrative leave."

"Nah, it's not official until Skinner tells me to my face and takes away my gun. I've done this before, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yes you have. What the hell are we going to tell Skinner? Why did you do it, Mulder?" Her voice broke at the end.

Mulder swallowed hard. "You'll tell him what you saw, what you know. As far as why I did what I did, I honestly can't say because I don't remember anything. That's what I'll tell Skinner," he said steadily.

"They could still press charges against you, Mulder! They could call me as a witness to testify against you!"

He took a step closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know. But I don't think it will come to that," he said with more confidence than he felt. He felt bad that this was coming down on her, but should he feel guilty for trying to uncover the truth? "My father was murdered because someone found out he wanted to tell me the truth; your sister died because we had gotten too close to the truth. This is what I do. This is who I am."

"I know. It's okay, really."

It wasn't. It was fucked, but by taking the heat off her, he could make it better. It was the least he could do, given that she'd saved his life. Again. He guessed it was part of her job. Totally fucked.

He spotted headlights heading toward the apartment. "Hey, I think that's your cab."

"I think you're right."

"Yeah, well. I'm a trained investigator. Do you want to drive in together?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Okay. I'd like to go in early." She had on her no-nonsense Agent Scully face now. Just the facts, ma'am. He loved that face. He loved every Scully expression, from her occasional grin to her most fearsome scowl.

"Right. I'll see you in the morning." He held open the cab door and helped her in. Mulder watched the cab drive away, taking her toward home.

**Author's Note:**

> The image screen capture is by Chrisnu, the edit is mine.


End file.
